A suspect drink-driver barrelled through two Perthshire villages, narrowly avoiding multiple collisions, while trying to pick up a can of cider rolling around in his passenger footwell.
Raymond Carr nearly smashed into parked cars and caused another motorist to swerve out of his way as he sped along the B954 Alyth to Newtyle road.
He was confronted by an angry driver who had pursued him after a near miss.
She said Carr was smelling of booze, was using the door of his van to keep himself upright and had small pupils.
But the van driver refused to be breathalysed by police.
When asked if he was the driver, he responded: “No comment.”
Driver was facing into footwell
Carr, of Parkside, Meigle, appeared at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted driving without due care and attention through Ardler and Meigle on April 1 this year.
He also pled guilty to failing to provide police with two specimens of breath and failing to give information to an officer.
Fiscal depute Nicole Lewis said the B954 fluctuates between speed limits of 60mph to 20mph.
“The road was dry and there was good visibility.
“At the time, there were a number of pedestrians within both villages.
“At about 6.45pm, a witness was driving along the road when she observed a vehicle, driven by the accused, coming in the opposite direction at speed.
“It appeared that the accused was facing into the footwell of his vehicle and his van was crossing into the other carriageway.
“The witness sounded her horn but the accused failed to respond to this.”
The court heard Carr’s van went over the central line and the witness had to swerve to avoid him.
“The witness has had to brake suddenly.
“She then performed a three point turn and followed the accused’s van.”
Pursuit
Ms Lewis said as she followed Carr, the witness saw his van swerve across both lanes and travel at excessive speeds.
“She saw his van was coming very close to parked cars and was nearly colliding with them.
“She called the police.”
When Carr came to a stop, the woman confronted him.
“She saw that he was unsteady on his feet and was using his car door to support himself.
“His speech was slurred, there was a smell of alcohol and his pupils were small.”
Police attended and asked Carr if he was the driver.
He replied: “No comment.”
Officers noticed an open can of cider in the front of the vehicle.
“The accused was arrested and taken to Divisional HQ in Dundee,” she said.
“There, he refused to give two specimens of breath.”
Solicitor Paul Ralph, defending, said that Carr had been driving home from work when a drink rolled off his passenger seat.
Sheriff David Hall told Carr: “This was a bad piece of driving.
“And your failure to comply with police officers was simply unacceptable.”
Carr was fined £1,050 and banned from the road for a year.
